August 12, 2011

As discussed in an earlier post, a man attacked me today at the Capitol. We captured the assault on 2 different cameras, and I'm not editing the material together (at least not at this point). First, here's what Meade got on the Flip camera. He wasn't deliberately filming me, so some of this is unframed or off camera.

The man doing all the talking about politics and religion is not the attacker. Please note how friendly and nonconfrontational I am. I don't put my camera in anyone's face. I'm just recording a guy who's basically performing for the camera. He's yelling at a friend who is a Christian minister (and a commenter here, as "caplight"). You can see my son Chris on the right, in dark sunglasses, at 3:00. The attacker is the man with the "solidarity" armband, visible clearly at 3:38.

In the middle of the screen, at 3:38, in the red "fist" T-shirt and holding a heart-shaped balloon, is the man who pointed me out in the rotunda yesterday and who (apparently) participated in the comments yesterday under the pseudonym "Dirty Hippie." He talks to the attacker just before the attacker yells "You're socially retarded" and attacks me. The attack is at 3:58, off camera. Meade yells "hey" a few times and gets the incident framed. At 4:00, you see Chris detaching that man's hands from me. At 4:04, I yell "police" and the 2 men mock me, yelling "police!" in their girlie voice. At 7:12, the talkative guy tells the police what "transpired." He clearly states that the other man grabbed my camera (and portrays himself as the peacemaker).

The second camera was held by me. I'm processing that now. It gives you a first-hand view of the attack and my discussion with the police.

So these meth-head looking lowlifes get their jollies roughing up women of a certain age, and then mocking her cries for police assistance? Classy people in Madison, real classy. Solidarity, indeed. Every one of you shitheels who encouraged and excused the violent mobs of the Spring are those guys boon compadres. Be very proud of yourselves, you worthless sacks of shit.

It's going to be easy for some to roll their eyes at this. If it were my mother or wife I would have lost my freaking mind.

Sorry.

Ya know, this isn't generally how moderates are treated in Austin, and they have a good law school there too.

Madison is a lovely place, but it's also apparently not a lovely place.

Don't let anyone tell you that you're overreacting. You have a right to exist in your community without people harming you. I suppose I don't need to tell you that.

Pretty amazing how mad some seem to be over a mere blogger. Pixels on a screen they do not even need to encounter at all. It's desperation because they just know, in their hearts, that democracy without democrats winning is some kind of horrible thing.

You've perfected the double-camera technique required to catch lowlife scum like this. They're always big men when it comes to sucker-punching people with differing opinions, but too cowardly and weak to stick around. Union pack of jackals against an Army of Davids.

Oh. I just saw in the other thread about what the cop said about Chris.

I'd press charges anyway, because, theoretically, the other people can do it whether you press charges or not. If, of course, it is disorderly conduct to stop an attempted robbery -- or whatever the term is, for someone trying to grab a, what, $100+ camera out of someone's hand with physical violence?

Yeah, I'd say disorderly conduct would be the least of people's worries.

I'm trying to decide which Organized Labor faux pas from the last two days looks worse: Two grown, ugly men assaulting a woman and then mocking her for calling on the police; or a Verizon striker throwing his 9 year old daughter into oncoming traffic to make a point. It's a tough choice.

First off, kudos to your kid for intervening on your behalf. That said, I'm not sure I understand why the other camera - the one that caught this footage - was not on the ground as the person holding it was pummelling the living shit out of the creep who attacked you.

Wow. Madison is to Althouse as Queens was to Kitty Genovese. Too self absorbed, or secretly admiring, to intervene in an attack on a woman. Is there a single person left in Wisconsin who knows how and when to throw a punch? They're missing an awful lot of opportunities.

"939.48 Self−defense and defense of others. (1) A person is privileged to threaten or intentionally use force against another for the purpose of preventing or terminating what the person reasonably believes to be an unlawful interference with his or her person by such other person."

http://legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/stat0939.pdf

"(4) A person is privileged to defend a 3rd person from real orapparent unlawful interference by another under the same conditionsand by the same means as those under and by which the personis privileged to defend himself or herself from real or apparentunlawful interference, provided that the person reasonablybelieves that the facts are such that the 3rd person would be privileged to act in self−defense and that the person’s intervention is necessary for the protection of the 3rd person."

Threatening to throw Chris in jail (and yourself if you don't have "ties to the community") is flat out wrong, unless he assumes that it is not illegal to rob someone with force. If that isn't "unlawful interference," I don't know what is.

Unless the Wis. Statutes on the .gov site are out of date (July 25, 2011, I somehow doubt they are).

Also, judicial notes include: "While there is no statutory duty to retreat, whether the opportunity to retreat was available goes to whether the defendant reasonably believed the force used was necessary to prevent an interference with his or her person."

I see you've got your fist* out,say your piece and get out,I guess I get the gist of it but-it's alright,I'm sorry that you feel that way,the only thing there is to say,every silver lining's got a touch of grey...

Hunter/Garcia Touch Of Grey____________*Some texts say "list" and not "fist." Even a cursory listening confirms that the word is fist.

Lesson learned, I hope: the second camera is to film attacks on the first videographer. If Chris is with you, take three cameras. Let people see that their misdeeds will be recorded, and there will be fewer misdeeds.

They're trying to revoke your Madison privileges again. Teach them that the cost for that will be far too high for them.

It's hard to argue with Jesus. Or with Apostles with Biceps, who know exactly what Jesus would do. The question "What Would Jesus Do" used to be held in contempt by the left, but I see they have learned that the approach is useful if shouted loud enough.

Missing in the Jesus like approach are (1) humility and (2) honesty. Apostle with Biceps simply lies to the cops about what happened. Or maybe he just rewired the experience in his mind to fit his preconceptions.

Serendipitously, I discovered this wonderfully bloody-minded quote from John Adams just yesterday:

"I have a right to stand on my own defence, if you intend to commit felony; if any of the persons made an attack... with an intention to rob them, if it was but to take their hats feloniously, they had a right to kill them on the spot, and had no business to retreat; if a robber meets me in the street, and commands me to surrender my purse, I have a right to kill him without asking questions..."

Be wary of those thugs. A favorite tactic of leftist agitators is to tempt you to respond with force so they can press charges against you. Even if they strike you first, they will claim otherwise and press charges. You should have had him arrested.

Well, Ann, your husband and son think much more quickly and clearly than myself. If someone did that to my mother or wife it would have been a two hit fight - me hitting that guy and him hitting the ground. And me going to jail. That is just the way I am.

I felt like kicking the "peacemakers" ass 2 minutes in.And what about the pensions they have been paying for "all their lives"? Haven't we been paying for their pensions all our lives? Also, sorry Meade, but if my husband saw a man attack me, he would be on the ground (bleeding) before I finished yelling.

There's no reason that vid couldn't be used by a cable network, Breitbart, etc., is there? Might be interesting to see how the Madison Teacher/thugs like seeing their best and brightest in a national spotlight.

Your son showed great restraint. If that were my mother, I'm afraid I would have given him a running head start punch to the temple and dropped the thug bag of shit. At the very least I would have taken him down to the ground, and I don't think those steps would have made for a very soft landing. Tackleberry would have been hauling me away in cuffs.

The guy in the grey shirt could give Jeremiah Wright a run for theologically illiterate preacher of the year. Jesus kicked over the moneychangers' tables because he was against business/profit? And here I thought it was because they were desecrating a house of worship, and ripping off the peeps (overcharging) on the price of the sacrificial animals (ergo the "den of theives" comment). Guess I should chuck out all my commentaries and see if I can borrow his theological notes, the scholar that he is.

The part I liked best was telling Ann that she is going to suffer in torment for supporting Walker. He should heed his own advice; the Bible is replete with warnings to those who would add or subtract from Scripture.

"Tort claim" means she can sue him civilly for something or other." Good luck with that as he really didn't damage you.

I would have pressed charges and called the cop's bluff on getting your son arrested. But then I think a night in jail is something everyone should experience at least once so they appreciate their freedom.

One comfort to lots of us is that those people who have resorted to physical intimidation, falsehoods, the worst kind of union activity, they are all LOSING. I would say to all of them: "stand by, you ain't seen nuthin yet.!" (Bums, meatheads, come try that in Texas you cowards). Man up.

"You have a right to exist in your community without people harming you.”

...but not on their turf. And I think we'd have to concede that the good citizens of Wisconsin surrendered that turf to the drummers and vuvuzela players when they didn't demand that their law enforcement officials toss them out on their organic-fed & clad butts when they first occupied the Capitol back in February.

Sorry, tranditionalguy, there were only 27 fires caused by the so-called Pinto defect (out of over 2 million produced). About the same as other cars at that time. The problem is a lot like the Toyota exceleration thing today - much ado about nothing but a boon for the trial lawyers.

Sorry, Ann. The cop was wrong and you were wrong. If you were really serious about proving a point, you should have pressed charges. You came across as whiny and the cop was trying explain the *reality* of what you and your son were doing. Your son was doing what any good son would do - however you should have followed thru with your complaint and pressed charges. Otherwise you're just trolling in public for a reaction.

While I think it was wonderful that your son came to your rescue as a good son should, you were continually smirking and pointing your camera directly in peoples faces. I think you would've been partially responsible if something worse would've happened to yourself or your son. Youhave a right to be there and so do the protestors. Both parties need to act in a responsible manner.

Frankly, Madame, you should have decked him. He could have hurt you and kudos to your son for standing up for you.

You acted as a lady and tried to make the law do what it's intended to do, but the Left in Madison has things locked down, it would seem.

PS Trying to appropriate the name of Christ and His teachings is an old Lefty trick going back to the Vietnam War era. It always ended up somehow that Uncle Ho and Danny Ortega and the rest of the cutthroats were the true instruments of God's will.

Which is how revolution theology very quickly became known as Badly Baptized Bolshevism.

PPS Ann looks so small next to the two thugs in this, it's going to be impossible for the Lefties to spin this as her provoking a confrontation, which the Lefties commenting at the paper's site were already trying to do.

When the policeman said, "You need to back away sometimes. For your safety and everyone else." It sounded similar to the warning the police officer who inspired the slut walks gave. (Have caution around dangerous people.) At first. Then he went on about being provocative and just showed he was as much of a bully as the camera-grabbing guy.

Matthew is right. Your son did not know how far that attack was going to go. The fat cop is saying that if the attacker was beating your brains out on the sidewalk, your son should not intervene and only call the police. God, stupid cops make me so MAD! For him to stand around and lecture the victim ... aarrgh.

One of the things that keeps going thru my mind is how no one in leadership takes any responsibility for these protesters harrassing and attempting to intimidate people. Everybody just looked away and sang their happy ditties.

The guy in the grey shirt looks like the type of urban flotsam that has a screw or two loose. He can't stop talking, can he? Still, he wasn't physically aggressive.

The kid with the fist t-short was winding himself up for some time before he made the grab for the camera. You could see him stalking back and forth, like a dog trying to work its nerves up. The "oh sd--t" look he had just before he melted into the crowd when he finally realized was something.

I'll bet, with that temper, that he has a history with the law.

The young cop who talked to Anne handled things well, but the other one -- the one who issued that ridiculous officious arrest threat -- came across like a fat version of Barney Fife. I wonder if he has to carry his single bullet in his shirt pocket so he doesn't shoot himself in the foot practicing his quick draw?

And what was up with nobody responding to a woman yelling for help. Yea, Anne and Meade probably aren't on their list to get Christmas cards, but you would think that, if not for chivalry's sake, they would have at least came over just to make sure nothing happened that made them look bad.

the actual "attack": 2 (it was more of a camera push, and i did not see the guy hit your arm, not saying it didn't happen.ann's drama of the "attack": 8ann's blog postings of the attack: 9

also, i'm curious why you didn't press charges? you are saying you were "attacked", right? or, do you just like the attention you are getting? when my kids want my attention, they kind of dramatize the scenario, just to get me to turn my head. kinda like posting a video of yourself cross country skiing in a skirt. looks like another case of all hype, no substance.....and, for the record, what the guy did to you was low, and, i think you knew it was coming....

This is nothing less than we would expect from these people seemingly lacking in the logic and reason exhibited in homo sapiens residing anywhere other than Dane county. With that being said there is no excuse for the way that Ann was treated. What is most appalling and outrageous is that these pigs (normally I would be more respectful, but these particular doughnut connoisseurs have earned that title) close ranks with these lunatics. These people play a deciding role in what crimes people are charged and convicted with and they are devoid of integrity. I would hate to see Chris be trampled by these pigs and subsequently a Dane county DA, judge, and jury. Justice is clearly only afforded to the Madison "in" crowd.

Those guys are wired way too tight. I suppose they're cranks more than psychos, but I'd give both a wide berth. I don't suppose the sleeveless wonder has ever lost an argument in his life. Not a guy who's tormented with self doubt.....Anyway, the punishment fit the crime. They both look like jerks, and now they're famous for looking like jerks....The cop was undoubtedly wrong, but he was just trying to keep a kerfuffle from elevating into a fracas. Let everyone walk away and pursue justice on another day.

Ann I'm glad you are okay. Not much of a physical assault, but that's not the point. Your son and Meade acted swiftly in your defense, and "proportionally" as they say. As others have indicated, things ould have been different, and I'm in that camp, it would have ended very differently. Arm band boy would not be getting all mouthy...he would still be getting hit til someone dragged me off him. And to put this in perspective, I'm 54. Not a violent guy, my last fight was at age 19. And I'm not talking if I was Meade...I'm saying if I was there. You don't assault women. Period.

That's why this guy needs to be charged. Next time will end differently.

Years ago, the conventional wisdom for Minnesota drivers was that the Dane County highway patrol troopers "always" ticketed Minnesota drivers. Never previously understood why that was since the I94 & I90 troopers seemed reasonable and honest elsewhere, but the Dane County bunch were like rabid dogs. But now, it's understandable and seemingly explainable too; it's Dane County and that's a special place with lots of special people.

Do I look like a Rick Perry supporter to you? HELLO! Dubya screwed Texas so hard ... no political candidate from there gets to win the next presidential election.

While I also think the guy in the gray sleeveless top ... who got identified on the other thread as Kirby Jones ... And, also seems to have a sexual predator's record. Popped up in the winter ... posing as a gum chewing lawyer ... (TWICE).

Oh, at about the same time Meade climbed a tree. Because, then, I about fainted.

Yes, the tree was in Meade's back yard.

But it followed a scene where Ann was interviewing "two" lawyers ... out at the Haq statue ... that Meade climbed ... too. (When he gave it a bath. And, when he climbed to the top .. to take off a Solidarity tee-shirt.)

Gosh, I remember thinking how odd a "lawyer" would be who chewed cud like that.

And, I was also thinking I wouldn't want to be married to a man who climbed trees. Because just seeing a cat climbing a tree, here ... gets me to screaming out loud.

While, I also believe the Jesus preacher ISN'T a preacher at all. Maybe, he's a lawyer? Maybe, everything he does is just an act? But he is local to Madison!

And, when Ann's around he gets loud. But what's with that vuvuzilla? Is this the new Union Bullhorn? Unlike a bullhorn, you could use it to deliver an enema. So it must serve some sort of purpose, huh?

The lavender color just added an extra touch. Clashes with the red shirts, though.

While at the Rotunda don't the POLE-eestz .. just have their hands full? Aren't they now tasked with keeping the red balloons off of the ceiling? But only inside. So this gave me an idea. Why weren't they attaching messages to the balloon's strings ... and sending them aloft to the sky?

Where would they land?

Couldn't we do "sightings?"

Believe it or not, Madison is small enough ... that seeing faces showing up ... again and again ... should happen a lot more often than it does.

Or anyone else takes stock of.

AH! And, another thought!

Like I said, I'm the only person who thinks today's "Jesus preacher" once identified himself to Ann as a lawyer! (Chewing cud). Because he said he was a UNION LAWYER!

That's why today's policeman wanted to arrest Ann's son Chris!

Union lawyers are tight with TUBBS.

Union lawyers wouldn't be arrested at the Rotunda. Because they'd get taken out and shot first. (By Tubbs. Who'd use them when he had to do pistol practice.)

A vastly tune was being sung it seemed like when a Justice said she was choked, a Solidarity Singer getting his tooth cracked from a punch from a Tea Partier, or a women getting her head curb stomped in Kentucky from a Tea Partier. "Bitch had it coming", if you will.

Just watched it. The talker is an idiot with his priorities messed up. when he saw the attack he was still more interested in talking then pushing back the armband guy. The armband guy is a threat to anyone on the campus. He can't control his emotions. The campus police need to put a fatwa out on him. He needs to be fingerprinted, a night in jail, and a back ground investigation to see if there is any thing more serious going on there. The talker is just a bullshit artist. When someone knocks him around sometime he won't be so glib. I didn't see any provocative closeness by Althouse etc. She just seemed to be enjoying the surroundings. The vuvezeula stuff her is a symbol of violence. It means they don't want to hear another voice other than their own. They boost their own and block anything else.

While I think it was wonderful that your son came to your rescue as a good son should, you were continually smirking and pointing your camera directly in peoples faces. I think you would've been partially responsible if something worse would've happened to yourself or your son. Youhave a right to be there and so do the protestors. Both parties need to act in a responsible manner.

Now this is just pathetic. People come out to protest, looking for attention. Ms. Althouse films them, exactly what they should desire- publicity. However, she "smirked"! How offensive! Lame, lame, lame.

This is just another example of the Left resorting to violence. It's what they do. If it's not attacking a disabled black man or biting the finger off a retiree, it's assaulting a woman. Leftists just love them some violence.

I'm commenting without reading all the comments because I've got better things to do, but to me, it's obvious that the armband guy doesn't do the initial camera jostling, and he puts up his hand to impede your hand moving forward in an aggressive manor. At least he could make that case given the video available. Maybe if slow-mo with the newly discovered subtitles were employed we could get at the true nature of the crime. And remember, the walrus is Paul.

Seriously? That's what you consider an offense of merit to call upon police? Lawyer.

Peano - "Meanwhile, Rosebud is taping for all he's worth capturing "evidence." And for what? They don't have the balls to press charges. What good is video evidence?"=================If you are past age 8 and can't figure out videoing events has use outside a majestic court of US law...it would probably be too hard to explain it to you even though the answer is literally right on your screen!

I'm trying to decide which Organized Labor faux pas from the last two days looks worse: Two grown, ugly men assaulting a woman and then mocking her for calling on the police; or a Verizon striker throwing his 9 year old daughter into oncoming traffic to make a point. It's a tough choice.---------------------------------

I would say all three guys are scumbags.

Mrs. Althouse, as a former MP if I happen to be heading up to Madison (in part to remind me why I don't live there) from Lake Geneva I would be more then happy to provide an extra level of security to your goings on while there. Also as someone else pointed out, the officer that spoke to your son was ill informed of the law and very wrong in his assessment of the situation.

I oppose modern American liberalism because it hollows out people's souls.

Modern American liberalism is the societal equivalent to the AIDS virus - feverishly working overtime to destroy the public's ability to mount an immune response to political doctrines and acts that are killing our society.

Ann, you are a T helper cell, and the social AIDS virus strands are trying to destroy you.

What people and the police don't seem to understand is that women are attacked in this situation more often. If althouse had been made 6' 2 250 pounds the attack would never have occurred. This type of assault happens fast and if one is not practiced in response then emotions are more likely to come out than force. however it is important in these instances to confront the attacker and provide a verbal, emotional or physical beatdown on them whichever is appropriate. I've had mutliple women friends attacked quickly like this and the police always downplay it. Probably because they never experience it themselves. a talk to the police chief is in order. Organizers of these events should have it let know to them that violence will not be tolerated.

The ignorant lefties like these two here in the film are perfectly capable of escalating their ignorance.

A vastly tune was being sung it seemed like when a Justice said she was choked, a Solidarity Singer getting his tooth cracked from a punch from a Tea Partier, or a women getting her head curb stomped in Kentucky from a Tea Partier. "Bitch had it coming", if you will.

1. The Justice you mentioned was discredited when the truth was accidentally blurted out: (paraphrasing) "Well he WOULD have choked me if you hadn't separated us!" Furthermore, did you hear anyone else seriously saying it would be a good thing to choke her? If so, I need to be pointed to that.

2. Never heard about a Tea Party member breaking someone's tooth - can't speak to that, but again, I doubt very much anyone here advocated it, as you're suggesting.

3. The woman who got taken down to the curb physically rushed a vehicle carrying a public figure and pushed her hands inside. No one knew if she had a weapon, or anything else. She was no innocent in that incident, and I suspect you know that very well.

BTW - Liberals believe any amount of force is justifiable if you don't do what they want.

8/12/11 10:10 PM

It's like they have no impulse control...like small children. It fits with my theory: Conservatives function as the adults in society, liberals function as the children - "FEED ME! CLOTHE ME! I WANT CANDY OR I'LL THROW A FIT! I HATE YOU DADDY!!!!"

There's something that's just surreal about that clueless baboon in the wifebeater just continuing to rant—barely pausing for breath—about his misappropriation of Jesus no matter what happens around him.

You can see the approach of armband guy in the first video. He is all worked out. he a nut. The grey shirt guy seems a little nutty to me also. Althouse has wielded her camera plenty of times and she hasn't assaulted anyone at all. And she is very active. here you have a deranged person lashing out as a perceived affront. and now in the blog you have the deranged posters helping him along. That is not how one makes society civil. One stops the doucebag and his supporters and gives them a douse of reality. here that was the job of the police.

These types of assaults against women often go under reported. The perps are most likely beating their dogs and kids at home. they are serial assaulters. A good cop would know this instead of just trying to make his job easier.

Apfelkuchen:". . . you were continually smirking and pointing your camera directly in peoples faces. I think you would've been partially responsible if something worse would've happened to yourself or your son."

No complaint about someone blowing a vuvuzela "directly in people's faces", which is quite a bit worse: it spreads germs and damages eardrums. There might be a comparison if the Ann had been doing flash photography right in people's faces after dark, but she wasn't. So why is 'apfelkuchen' concerned about totally harmless (though no doubt annoying) smirking and picture-taking, but entirely silent about the other side's vuvuzela? Gross hypocrisy is the obvious hypothesis. It would go well with the implied threat in a.k.'s words.

wv: adder. If you're going to bring a pet along to a rally, an adder might be even better than an Alsatian. But how do you keep it on a leash when it has no shoulders?

We don't have problems like this, generally, in Phoenix thanks to concealed carry laws. Pull this crap in Phoenix and there's a better than even chance you'll be looking at the business end of a Glock.

If Chris would have had to go to jail to post ... what? Bond? A witness statement? What? ... then I hate to think what would have happened to me if I'd been present when someone struck my mother. Because that fool would have left that plaza in an ambulance.

I hope you’re OK and his non-verbal’s were indicating that he wanted to do something. The sad aspect is that if you desired to press charges (which you should have) the cops would probably have arrested you and Chris, albeit on improper charges. So I guess the police message is twofold: Nonintervention with the protesters; Suppression of those who dissent with the protesters.

Carol,

I don’t think that is the same guy; nose, ears, and hair line are different.

Hifi,

Glad to see another MP on here.

New thought: Is this an indicator that Cairo in Madison is morphing into London in Madison? News flash, ‘Baseball bat sales sky rocket in Madison, WI.’

TWM...Thanks for pointing out that Ford Pintos were not in need of a law effectively denying civil suits to the occupants of only 27 rolling gasoline bombs sold as compact family cars.

If you are confident in your facts, then I dare you to ride down the road with your kids in the back seat of a Pinto.

The first rear end crash, by maybe a texting driver. will burn your family to death.

The Pinto tanks were built in behind the rear seats and higher than the bumper. A $4 wire mesh (used inside American fighter plane gas tanks since 1938) would have prevented the explosions.

The fighter's gas tanks were in locations behind the cockpit, like Pintos were.

Ford intentionally made the Pinto the same way that the suicidal Japs made their Zero fighter's gas tanks.

That significant difference made the F4F and the F6F survivable planes when shotup while Zeros blew up after a 3 second burst, usually with no survivor as designed. It seems that the Jap pilot who lost a fight deserved to die gloriously for his Emperor.

Probably a thousand American Flyboys outlived his plane being shot and came home because of $4 spent on the plane's gas tank.

Meanwhile the Texas manufacturers save $4 by selling their 3 legged, instead of 4 legged, turkey fryers to inexperienced parents for use on the patio around playing children while filled with 400F boiling oil.

Do you understand what happens with only 3 legs when it is bumped?

That is covered up by propaganda that it is only a routine accident caused by careless people...people who can no longer get into court to dispute claims for compensation.

So don't let your kids go to homes where there might be a turkey fryer IED in use on the patio.

When cited by Consumer Product Safety regulators, they manufacturers react with a Ford like cost analysis and keep right on making them and pay fines if caught not ceasing and desisting.

And it is the GOP appointed Federal Judges who aid and abet the dismissal of such cases in Federal Court.

I mean that literally. Mentally unstable people are attracted to protest movements, left and right. If you're going to report on crowds you have to be careful to recognize the crazy ones because they aren't safe.

You also can't count on police or somebody else to get there fast enough to help you before you are hurt -- it can happen quite fast. You must watch the crowd carefully.

I know he wasn't the one who attacked, but I don't understand why you were engaging somebody who is so off mentally. It also took your attention on the crowd.

It's not just that he had politically differences: his thinking is disorganized, he's too emotive in a unpredictable way, he doesn't just look like he's blowing off steam, and just plain looks unstable mentally.

That means watch the crowd and when you identify instability don't act like it's safe and amusing and protect yourself proactively by moving a safe distance away.

Don't expect others in the crowd to interfere. The psychology of crowds don't work that way. When things get physical most people move away & many people don't even notice.

I'm very glad you weren't hurt. Watch out and don't be naive in the future, particularly if you're going to get close to crowds you are filming.

Good questions. She yelled "Police!!" But when they came, her response was, "I don't want my attacker to suffer the consequences of being arrested and charged. Just make the bad bad man go away."

When she yelled "Police!!" she didn't know whether there was more to come. For all she knew, it was about to get much worse...and if she hadn't yelled, it may have.

You'd think the police might at least take the punk aside and teach him that you can't just grab people with whom you disagree. Obviously he never heard it from his parents (or if he did, it didn't sink in).

I agree that the talkative guy is clearly an unreasonable person, possibly deranged, who doesn't have the capacity to be reasonable.

Be careful out there. You yourself Althouse have correctly identified what's going on in your city as a collective working out of a psychological crackup. Some people take it worse than others. Who knows what they will do?

AND: Perhaps the reason the crowd did not detain the men is that, in person, it did not look as brutal as it seems in the short video clip — a clip that has the words "head" and "stomp" near it. What was the woman doing before the men activated themselves to stop her?

"First, why do you even get involved with all this shit? I mean really. It was a beautiful day and you could of gone for a drive or experienced some lake."

This rings so true.

But if everyone good steps aside, we're going to suffer for it eventually. Maybe that's part of the problem. People are complacent because it's easy to be in this wonderful and comfortable and entertaining society we have, and so little tyrants have crept into power while good folks find something less egotistical to do.

I do appreciate that I have more information about WI politics. It's of great value.

"also, i'm curious why you didn't press charges? you are saying you were "attacked", right?"

He committed 3 distinct acts of battery, clearly crimes. No question about it. Why it is my tendency not to want someone arrested, I cannot tell you. I had someone commit arson in my house, in my basement, while I was away and my teenage son was upstairs sleeping in his bedroom. I came home and found the house filled with smoke. I talked to many law professors about what I should do and decided not to report the crime. I did not want to ruin a young man's life. That young man also stole something from the house. I confronted him to get that thing back, and he was rude to me. I still did not report the arson. Or the theft. That's just the way I am.

"kinda like posting a video of yourself cross country skiing in a skirt. looks like another case of all hype, no substance.....and, for the record, what the guy did to you was low, and, i think you knew it was coming...."

Wow. Funny that you'd connect some old image of me wearing a skirt with me having it coming. There's a lot of misogyny leaking out of that. You might want to tidy up.

Take that last clip of the lazy fat cop saying Chris had no right to defend someone who is being assaulted - that his only option was to "retreat and call the police" and take it to his Captain and ask for comment.

That was bovine excrement and should not be allowed to stand. Period.

Sorry I'm in California and cannot come out and interview those cops myself.

Here is what you said about the woman that got her head stomped by Rand Paul goons:

That woman came running out of a crowd and attacked Rand Paul's car. She could have been an assassin. You and much of the media grossly over-exaggerated the severity of her attack, as you still do. No one here is doing that in Ann's case, and there is a significant age difference. You purposely distort facts to suit your agenda. People like you relish violence like the riots in England.

You're as pitiful and self-righteous as they come. Justifying attacks on 60 year old women.

part of the problem today is that young men are growing up without an idea of what masculinity is. You make it work in this new age equal world but if some creepy man goes across a line like this everyone left, right, and police drops him to the ground. It's a boundary. Even if you are Woody Allen.

Phil said..."Why it is my tendency not to want someone arrested, I cannot tell you."You don't want to know the answer to that.

Well at bottom Althouse is a pansy assed liberal who doesn't believe in doing the right thing. That's why she voted for the Jug Eared Jesus. She is an liberal college professor at bottom. Never forget that.

First - Anne, I'm on your side. (I'm putting that up front, because the rest of what I'm saying might make one think otherwise.)

You and Meade and several others were recording what others were doing in public. Yes, it is legal to do so. Yes, you have the right to do so. No, someone out in public protesting and declaiming has no right to NOT be recorded. He may remove himself from the public situation and bar your entrance to private property over which he has authority, but that's about all he can do.

But here's the thing: We're in the very uncomfortable begining stages of a new era in which everyone in the world - protesters, rioters, copwatchers, voyeurs, journolistas - all carry and use vidcams. Constantly. In-your-face-blatantly.

The London rioters were recording themselves. Bystanders were recording the rioters, while other bystanders recorded the first bystanders. I see a fenderbender in my neighborhood and five kids run out into the street with cellphone cameras. I put on my National Review cap and walk into a bar, and several phone cams are turned my way while someone says insulting things about the cap to me.

At a local fair, every time a cop walks by, ten cameras are turned on and tracking him or her (maybe because something might happen? Never did figure out why.)

Two kids get into a fight, and thirty phonecams are whipped out. One kid sits on the ground bleeding, and five record the blood. No one helps - they're busy recording.

I don't particularly think our system of rights was well-designed to encompass this scene. There's something just horribly rude and intrusive about this new social meme that says "I can vid you if I want to, right here one foot in front of your face, get over yourself!"

Maybe the key is the simple idea that we ought not do things just because we have the right to do them. Maybe it'll devolve into something more complex - something that adds a new branch onto constitutional law somehow.

But the few times I've had someone blatantly following me around while continually aiming their vidcam at my face - and seeming to be very proud that they're doing so and also very arrogant in their knowledge that Dammit, it's their Right! - well, I'm a very peaceful guy - never a physical fight in anger in my life, and I'm in my fifties - and I want to punch their faces in.

Like I said, we're in that awkward beginning stage where we just haven't figured out how to handle the new paradigm. We will, eventually, but I watched those vids and I couldn't decide which thought was paramount: "hey, she has a right to do that", and "god, what an intrusive in-your-face aggression!"

You people talking about whether it's okay to film: this was a demonstration. Think for just a moment about the word and its implications.

It's not like these two men were having a candlelight circle jerk in a locked bathroom. The whole point of a demonstration is to be seen -- and what better way to be seen than with a motion picture camera?

Unfortunately it appears that what cops caught on tape in confrontations say often seems to be wrong.

A bit unnerving.

I know they aren't lawyers, but if they don't know the basics are whether to arrest or who to arrest -- well, doesn't that require more than a comic book understanding of what law might be broken or not broken?

Althouse, I don't know if you should try to get the local prosecutor to file charges in this situation, but your story about the fire and theft makes me sick. Don't be a victim for goodness sakes.

bobby: I don't grasp this cameraphobia you and others have. How is it okay for me to watch you protest, or be a policeman, or whatever, but somehow it is rude for me to film? The recording in my memory is somehow less intrusive than an electronic recording? Why?

The motormouth is making an argument based on God's justice being parallel to his vision of wealth redistribution through the state, but when he sees a woman assaulted by a compatriot, he's evidently A-OK with that, since he can't be bothered to help stop the fracas and instead continues to harass your presence. He is then quite comfortable with lying to the police about what he witnessed. His vision of Christ's kingdom is odd: "Blessed are the camera swatters whose protection from the pigs is at least as important as showing the Governor that we think it's important that we keep getting money away from those rich fat cats, who keep taking pensions from government workers who deserve them."?

The videos, in my opinion, are ambiguous and don't really show what happened. I can understand someone being skeptical about whether this was a true assault based on the videos. Ann's camera was pushed down and then cut out, and Meade's camera wasn't pointing in the right direction until after the assault took place and only showed part of my response to it.

But I was right there and it completely unambiguously was an assault, not just against Ann but there was a smaller assault against me. The guy grabbed my arm hard enough so that I had fingernail cuts on my wrist, and I could still feel where he grabbed me when I was talking to the police afterwards. Obviously, there are worse assaults and no one was seriously injured, but this is a case of two strange men (one in particular) physically assaulting a 60-year-old woman.

I think what Officer Calhoun said to me on camera is something that could really terribly discourage crime victims from defending themselves. I'm concerned that people will see this and later hesitate to defend themselves at a critical moment. It clearly discourages bystanders from taking action. I'd like to hear what a legal expert who knows Wisconsin law would say about this. If the officer was wrong, I think the record should be set straight so that people do not allow themselves or others to be victimized because they believe they could be arrested as a result.